When your website is full of amazing content, it backs up the fact that you have a small business that works. You’re the expert in your field and you know what you’re doing. You have it all on your website: compelling written, photo, and video content.
How can you get visitors to buy-in to your business?
The answer is by further engaging them with calls-to-action or CTAs. After you introduce a plan for the visitor to follow, you need to invite this person to act! You want to offer clear, simple paths to take.
The CTA should be perfectly aligned, both with the needs of the visitor, AND the thing you are hoping they will eventually buy. Think of the CTA as a “baby step” that moves them a step closer to solving their problem and a step closer to buying your solution.
Your visitors need to feel as though they’re the center of attention the entire time they’re on your website. This can be done in more ways than one. As you write about your small business, you’ll discover opportunities to use two kinds of CTAs.
The Primary Call-to-Action
Your primary CTA can be boiled down into the main action you want your customers to do when they come to your website. This is clear, straight forward, and should be very obvious. Here are a few examples:
- Buy Now
- Apply Now
- Request a Quote
- Get a Free Estimate
- Schedule a Consultation
Your primary CTA invites your visitor to make an intentional move toward becoming a customer, and should be direct like the examples above. Make your call to actions very focused, because people want a clear path to follow.
What if the Visitor Isn’t Ready?
Primary CTAs can be intimidating if your prospects aren’t ready to think about buying. It’s like your marriage proposal to them. That’s a big deal! For every customer that may get cold feet, there’s a solution.
The Transitional Call-to-Action
The transitional CTA is a lot softer. It’s a smaller step that’s focused on their needs, without asking them to think about buying. Transitional CTAs keep your customers on their toes, and thinking about the problem they want to solve. You’re instilling interest in your product and what you do. Transitional CTAs are items that the customer can engage with or consume that help them better understand your brand or product and further solidify why you’re the best choice. They can also give the customer a lot of value – making you a trusted guide!
Here are a few examples:
- Get a Free E-Book
- Get a Free Cheat Sheet
- Take a Quiz or Self-Assessment
- Sign Up for a Webinar or Seminar
- Access a Series of Videos
Each of these transitional CTAs should be about the specific need the customer has. For example, if you are a pet groomer and the client’s problem is a smelly dog, you would offer a “Handbook for Eliminating Pet Odor” or the “Pet Odor Elimination Cheat Sheet.”
Get Your Customers Moving!
Calls-to-action give your visitor the incentive to buy-in to your business. Transitional CTAs are your way of earning trust, educating your customer, helping them with their problem, and maybe capturing some information, so you can follow up — kind-of like asking your customers out for a second date, rather than a marriage proposal. If they’re ready to commit to making a purchase, your primary CTA will guide them towards their happily ever after.